Congratulations on winning the contest. :mrgreen: If you could give me a vague outline of what you'd like on the banner, that would be fantastic.
Firstly, I love your writing style. The language is very vivid and visual. If I were reading it aloud, I could almost taste the words. The descriptions aren't long and wordy, though, and I think that's what makes it so strong. They paint pictures without taking all your time to do it.
At first, I thought the marionette/puppeteer reference might only be a metaphor for this girl, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that you were being perfectly literal in your description of her. It's interesting that she possesses both human traits and those of a puppet. It adds another level to the entire story, I think.
I really sympathized with her when you explained how she wished she had her own voice.
And the puppetmaster was pretty terrifying with just that small amount of description you gave to him. One of my favorite things about this entire story is that you used the characters' actions to show the finer points of their personalities. Not enough people write like that anymore. I don't know what you're planning to do for the rest of your life, but I hope that it includes writing in some way. The world deserves to read your work.
I adored the darkness and ominous feeling of this story. Evil circuses and carnivals are always fun to read about, and you've done a wonderful job. Congratulations again.
Firstly, I love your writing style. The language is very vivid and visual. If I were reading it aloud, I could almost taste the words. The descriptions aren't long and wordy, though, and I think that's what makes it so strong. They paint pictures without taking all your time to do it.
At first, I thought the marionette/puppeteer reference might only be a metaphor for this girl, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that you were being perfectly literal in your description of her. It's interesting that she possesses both human traits and those of a puppet. It adds another level to the entire story, I think.
I really sympathized with her when you explained how she wished she had her own voice.
And the puppetmaster was pretty terrifying with just that small amount of description you gave to him. One of my favorite things about this entire story is that you used the characters' actions to show the finer points of their personalities. Not enough people write like that anymore. I don't know what you're planning to do for the rest of your life, but I hope that it includes writing in some way. The world deserves to read your work.
I adored the darkness and ominous feeling of this story. Evil circuses and carnivals are always fun to read about, and you've done a wonderful job. Congratulations again.